Chairman of the board of selectman John Ballantine
had everyone's attention on Monday evening as he opened a discussion of
the proposed Carlisle School expansion, pointing out that this will be
Carlisle's largest capital project over the next 10 years with a projected
price tag of around 15 million dollars. According to state and local estimates
the town's population is projected to increase from 5,000 to 7,500 by
the year 2030, with the school population growing to 1,200. Currently
850 students are enrolled and, although the school lists its total capacity
as 900, superintendent Davida Fox-Melanson was quick to point out that
many of the core facilities the cafeteria, gymnasium, parking, and play
areas are already operating at maximum level...more

Just as the Mosquito was going to press on Wednesday,
word came from the cable communications advisory committee that AT&T
Broadband has backed out of a previously-agreed-upon wish list that would
have remedied many of Carlisle's cable woes...more

Ed Whatley and Brian Lynch, engineers in charge of testing for possible
sites to locate a new school septic system, were on hand at the September
18 selectmen's meeting with an update. Displaying a map showing dozens
of dots where soil had been tested, covering every piece of land surrounding
the school from School Street to the Banta-Davis Land, Whatley concluded,
"We can say with confidence there's no fantastic piece of soil
out there hiding from us." Most tested sites were found structurally
unsuitable and incapable of percolating water at a rate required for
a leaching field. Lower Banta-Davis, the only town site near the school
that has proved to have good permeability, is currently considered off-limits
due to a lawsuit brought by abutter Timothy Landers. Fox Hill, town-owned
conservation land which has not been tested, was removed from consideration
because of opposition by the conservation commission...more

It began nearly a year ago with a plan to repair
a failed septic system. And now, after multiple trips to the planning
board, the board of selectmen and the board of health it's still not over
for Carol and Charles Cox of Wildwood Drive...more

On Thursday, October 11, at 7 p.m. Honey Schnapp,
noted early childhood educator will present "The Effects of Violent
Toys and Media on Young Children." She will talk about how parents
and caregivers can make appropriate decisions about the toys and media
their children use. Hadassah, along with the Bedford Jewish Community,
BEST PTO, Bedford Family Connection and Burlington's Mother-to-Mother
will sponsor the talk at the Job Lane School in Bedford. For more information,
contact Jill Mirman Owen, 1-781-271-1074...more

On Wednesday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Town
Hall, the Carlisle Conservation Restriction Advisory Committee will consider
a proposal to recommend to the Town that a Conservation Restriction be
placed on the Buttrick Woods Open Space Parcel. The public is invited
to attend...more

On Monday, September 24, a state senate redistricting
committee released a proposed congressional redistricting plan that would
keep mostly intact the Merrimack Valley's 5th congressional district represented
by Martin Meehan, of which Carlisle is a part...more

· September 11 remembrance. School
committee chair Suzanne Whitney Smith opened the September 19 meeting
with a request for a moment of silence and spoke a few reflective words
in remembrance of the events of last Tuesday. Davida Fox-Melanson, Carlisle
School superintendent, credited the teachers and staff with maintaining
calm in the face of this terrible American tragedy. All of the events
canceled last week have been rescheduled in an effort to return to normal
schedules this week. Whitney Smith also indicated that the school committee
will send a letter to all the teachers thanking them for the outstanding
job they did last week in putting the needs of the students first and
ensuring their safety...more

· Bog House apartment. Town administrator
Madonna McKenzie, acting in her role as chief procurement officer for
the town, informed the commission that she had rejected two submittals
received in answer to the Request for Proposals (RFP) concerning a three-year
lease of the third floor of the Bog House in exchange for repairs. The
two bids, one from Carlisle Cranberries president Mark Duffy and the other
from developer Charles Boiteau, were deemed to be incomplete. Consequently
the RFP must be reissued. The start date for the lease, originally July
1,2001, will be moved up to January 1, 2002. Commissioner John Lee took
the occasion of the rebid to suggest that the new document state expressly
that the apartment cannot be sublet...more

The Carlisle Conservation Commission (ConsCom)
opened its September 20 meeting with a tribute in which members recounted
significant and poignant memories of their fellow commissioner Eric Jensen,
who died following a motorcycle accident on September 9. Chair Tom Brownrigg
commented that commissioner Jo Rita Jordan's letter in the September 14
issue of the Mosquito had "captured the essence of his personality"
when she wrote of his "independent intelligenceclear, eccentric take
on issuesand a quirky sense of humorthat made him essential to us all."..more

There is no need to travel far to take the kids
to a country fair on Columbus Day weekend the Pig 'n Pepper Festival is
nearby and offers a plethora of children's activities that are included
in the cost of admission. The 11th Annual Pig 'n Pepper Festival is scheduled
for October 6-7, at the 4-H Fairgrounds on South Chelmsford Road, Westford.
This year the children will have many choices for fun and entertainment:..more

In April 2001, the voters of Carlisle adopted
the Community Preservation Act (CPA). The act establishes a Community
Preservation Fund (CPF) financed through a two percent surcharge on the
local property tax. The CPF shall be used for: the acquisition, creation,
and preservation of open space and recreational land; the acquisition
and preservation of historic resources; the creation, preservation and
support of affordable housing and the rehabilitation and restoration of
such. It was also voted to exempt from the surcharge the following: property
owned and occupied as a domicile by a person who would qualify for low
income housing or low or moderate income senior housing in the community;
and $100,000 of the assessed valuation of Class One Residential parcels
(all residential parcels are Class One)...more

The Center for Parents and Teachers (CPT), located
in Concord, is pleased to announce its fall line-up of workshops and lectures.The CPT, a non-profit organization, serves families, supporting them
in what CPT feels is the most important job in the world raising children..more